


Hey Stranger

by poohsweatervest



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 13:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1032149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poohsweatervest/pseuds/poohsweatervest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Imagine your OTP riding the same bus to work everyday for months and eyeing each other but never saying a word.  Then one day the bus brakes unexpectedly, sending the standing person A sprawling into the lap of the sitting person B, who blushes and stammers as they awkwardly try to help person A get upright again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hey Stranger

 I saw him every day. Every morning I would board the 7:15 bus and see him standing in between the two rows of empty seats. The route would go on and the seats would fill up, but he stood as if he never would have thought to sit down. He often wore a long black pea coat on cold days that he left unbuttoned to reveal a nice suit and tie. His shoes were a shiny black leather that could almost reflect light like a mirror. His dirty blonde hair was always combed off to the side in a business-like fashion, but the back never stayed down all the way, giving off an unkempt, windswept vibe. The bags under his eyes made his entire demeanor look menacing. He always had his headphones in and didn't pay much attention to his surroundings.

I looked like garbage compared to him. I boarded the bus every day in my stained, green hoodie with my employer's logo across my chest. My jeans were ripped and my steel-toed boots were scuffed and scratched. My hair was greasy from bathing before I went to bed and letting it dry against my pillow. I felt like a mess when I stood in his wake, and every week day, he was there.

We both got off in the same spot. The downtown business district was big and bustling. The traffic was unbearable, which is why I always took the bus. I had a car, but it took too much time to drive from the outer limits of Austin, Texas into the heart of the city. Of course, Green Mountain Energy wasn't located next to all the high rise buildings. I had to walk a couple blocks before I reached my place of work. I'd show up, clock in, and drive to appointments for eight hours every day then return to the bus stop to ride home. The man would always be at the stop with me and others, but it would always dwindle down to us being the last ones. I would get off at my stop and he would look anywhere but at me. Some times I would look back at the bus before returning to my apartment. I would catch him looking at me from the window and he would quickly look away as I made my way down the sidewalk in the opposite direction the bus was leaving.

I always wondered what it would be like to talk to him. He looked like a boring individual with nothing particularly interesting about his life. He probably sat in an office all day, doing paperwork and balancing expenses. He probably wouldn't have anything good to say that wasn't about stocks and wall street, but I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to speak to him or to hear his voice.

One night in particular, I came home to my empty house and thought about that man. I fed myself and sat across from an empty chair and wondered if I had the guts to introduce myself. I wasn't sure why I wanted to talk to him. We were both so different. I was an electrician that spent his days in strangers' homes, listening to people complain and bitch and moan about not being able to turn on certain lights only to find out it was a burnt out bulb. I didn't have much going for me and my job was blue collar at best. I wanted to talk to him, but I had no idea what I would talk about.

That evening I went to sleep and dreamt about what I would say to him and how we would talk. There wasn't much conversation between us and the dream consisted of awkward silences and stares.

My eyes fluttered open and the light blinded me. It was never that bright when I woke up and I was confused. I looked at my alarm clock and noticed that there wasn't a time displayed. My heart began to race as I jumped out of bed and ran to my phone that was no longer charging on my kitchen counter. The power had gone out some time in the night.

“Fuck,” I screamed as I read “7:18” from the screen. I panicked and threw my clothes on and ran out the door, giving little regard to my personal belongings and almost forgetting to take my wallet from my end table.

“If I just make it to the next stop,” I thought out loud. “I could still be on time.”

I knew that the next bus stop was about five blocks away and ran at about 7:25. By that time, I had five minutes to get to the stop and I was running as fast as I could. I couldn't afford to be late.

I rounded the final corner just in time to see a large crowd board the bus. I smiled to myself, completely out of breath, and joined them. I was the last one on and my smile disappeared when I looked down the sides in search of a seat and there was only one. It was directly behind the man in the pea coat.

The bus started to move and I nervously put my hands in my pocket, making my way to the seat. I glanced at him as he turned his head towards me, giving me a smirk. He moved to the side a bit so I could squeeze past him. I nodded to thank him and sat down in between two older women. I looked up and down the aisle. There were several people standing but most were seated. It was a normal sized bus with the poles in the middle and the hanging ropes in two lines down the center. He was holding on to one of the handles hanging from the ceiling, but was standing outrageously close to the seat. I had to separate my legs so I didn't knee him.

I put my head down and caught my breath as the bus hit a pot hole in the road. At first, it wasn't so bad and we continued to move, but the tires rolled into another one that was much larger, making me bounce in my seat along with everyone else. Before I knew what was going on, the man was falling into my lap. I leaned back and instinctively put out my arms to catch him. He landed there as I watched his fancy iPhone fall to the ground, tugging his headphones out of his ears. He looked at me with a shocked expression and I mirrored his face. The women on either side of me made surprised sounds.

“Uh,” He let out in a voice that I wasn't expecting. “Sorry, mate.” He had a British accent.

“No sweat,” I replied trying to help him back up. He put a hand on my shoulder and leaned up, only to lose his footing and slip to the ground, leaving him hanging in between my legs. His arms were resting on me, his hands a little closer to my crotch than I would have liked any stranger's to be. His face turned beat red and I couldn't help but chuckle as he drew his arms back. I offered him a hand when we hit another bump and he fell backwards on his rear.

“S-so sorry,” he let out in a squeaky voice, much different than the first time he'd opened his mouth. He placed a hand in mine and used it for support to get to his feet.

“Don't worry about it,” I smiled. Thoughts kept running through my head, practically screaming that it was my chance. That was the only chance I would get to easily start a conversation with the guy and it was fading fast. I looked up to him, now standing with his iPhone returned to his pocket, and noticed that his hand was still in mine. I shook it nervously. “My name's Michael, by the way.”

He smiled, confused by the hand shake at first then pulled his hand away to grab hold of the handle overhead. “I'm Gavin,” he said in his beautiful accent. “Nice to meet you.” His voice was shaky.

“Even though you fell in my lap, I'm glad to meet you too.” We both laughed awkwardly and were silent for the rest of the bus ride.

All day at work, I couldn't help but think about our interaction. I wished that I would have said something more to him. It was Friday and I could have easily asked him out for a drink. I couldn't decide if that would be odd or if it would be in line. I didn't have many people to talk to or friends outside of work. I really needed someone that I could talk to and have as a friend. That way I could end up a little less lonely.

I approached the bus stop after I had clocked out and walked the few blocks in between. I didn't see Gavin anywhere in the group of people and my heart sank a little. The bus pulled up at it's normal time and I waited at the back of the line to board. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Michael, right?” The voice asked in a British accent. I turned to see Gavin, smiling at me.

“Yeah,” I smiled back. “Gavin?”

“Yep!” He said energetically.

“I wasn't sure if you were going to make it to the bus.” I started walking forward, the rest of the line already on the bus. The man moved his grip from my shoulder to my arm. I turned again to face him.

“Actually, Michael, I was wondering-”

“Are you getting on or what?” The bus driver called from his seat through the open door.

“C'mon, we can talk about this inside,” I said as I turned again to face the open door.

“Did you want to get bevs?” He dropped his hand from my arm and spouted the sentence out quickly.

I stopped in my tracks, my heart seeming to pause along with my feet. He walked between me and the door to the bus.

“I'm sorry, I know we don't know each other or anything and we basically just met today but I really think that I could get to know you over some drinks and my plans are free for tonight, so if you want, the option is there?” He ended his explanation with a question as if he weren't used to explaining himself.

I rolled the thought around and looked to the impatient bus driver behind the wheel. Gavin moved his head so I was blocked from seeing the inside of the bus, but he was smiling and awaiting my answer with a furrowed brow.

“I haven't got all night, kid,” the driver said from behind Gavin.

I let out a sigh and smiled. “Go on without us,” I leaned around and waved before turning around and walking away with an ecstatic Gavin.

“Thank you so much,” he said as we walked down the street.

“It's really nothing,” I turned to look at him and noticed his hair was a mess instead of the normal business look it always had. It was sticking up in every direction. “Let's go get some drinks!”

We ended up walking to sixth street and hitting a different bar every hour. We talked about ourselves as we drunkenly walked up and down the closed off street. The crowds were outrageous as always, especially on a Friday night. We waded through them, giving little regard to those around us.

After taking a break from continuously drinking, I noticed that it was just rounding 2 am. I pointed the time out to Gavin. “We can go back to my place until we sober up a bit,” he suggested.

“Good plan.” I followed him down the street and I expected us to turn the corner at some point and head towards a bus stop, but he walked me to a building just off the street that appeared to be a condominium. He used a key to get into the front door and waved to the woman at the front desk, then we headed into an elevator. I looked to him expecting him to explain.

“What?” He asked me in a confused tone with a drunken smile when he noticed my gaze.

“Nothing,” I laughed and looked ahead. “I just thought that since you get on the bus before me, you'd live further away.” The doors opened up and we stepped out. He took the lead. “Y'know, instead of, like, a couple blocks away from where we get off every morning.”

He opened a door three down from the elevator and I made sure to note that detail. We stepped inside and it opened up to a small living room to the left with floor to ceiling windows and a set of stairs to the second floor that looked more like a loft. There was a hallway that led straight back and a kitchen with bar seating off to the right.

“There's a perfectly good explanation for that,” he said through slurred words. He slipped out of his shoes and loosed his tie, throwing his jacket and blazer to the ground. His socks slid on the hardwood floor as he walked to the fridge. “Are you hungry?” He asked, opening the door and pulling out lunch meat.

“I'm starving.” He set the food out on the counter and I took a seat at the bar after taking off my boots. I realized I was still in my work clothes.

“Anyway, I don't sleep so well,” he started as he finished making the sandwiches. He placed a plate with one on the counter and slid it across to me. “I hardly sleep at all. I wake up so early that I'm completely ready to go about two hours before I have to be at work. So,” he shoved a bite of the sandwich into his mouth and continued talking through the food. I laughed to myself as I watched his hand movements. “I walk to the bus stop and ride the bus around for about an hour and a half then I go to work.”

“I guess that's fair enough,” I responded, finishing the last mouthful.

“Is it though?” He set down his sandwich and looked me in the eye. “I mean, everyone tells me my sleeping habits are so bad that I should seek medical attention.”

“I mean, maybe you should, but only if it's affecting your life.”

He laughed and left his sandwich to walk into the living room. He fell to the couch and pulled his knees up under his chin. I followed him, sitting against the opposite arm of the sofa.

“I haven't been able to keep a relationship since I've been here because of it.”

“Well, to be fair, being an adult is tough.” I took my hoodie off over my head and set it on the coffee table in front of us. “How long have you been here?”

“About five years. Moved to the states for my job.”

“What is your job, exactly?”

“I manage expenses for a local filming company. They produce really awful indie films.”

“That's kind of cool, though.”

“I love my job, don't get me wrong. I just wish that I could be the one filming.” He sighed and fell over on the couch, his head almost touching my leg. “Being an adult is hard. They don't give you an instruction manual and you're just this mess of a person that can't even sleep properly and you're too afraid to go somewhere to get fixed because no one's ever told you exactly what to do.”

I put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed as he sat up, scooting himself right next to me. “Some times you just have to figure things out for yourself. I know it's scary, but you can't have someone hold your hand the whole way through life.” I looked down at my hands and remembered when I first moved to Austin on my own. I was so afraid and much like that moment and every moment up to it, I was alone. “Sometimes you're going to be alone too.”

“No one ever told me how lonely being an adult was either.”

I nodded in silent agreement then turned my head to face him. “At least we've got each other, right?” I said jokingly.

He looked to me and smiled. “It's not so lonely now.” He paused and the smile slowly left his face. His eyes stayed locked with mine, and before I could process what was happening, Gavin leaned in and slowly closed his eyes. His lips pressed to mine and I didn't know how to react. After a couple seconds of staring wide-eyed at Gavin, he pulled away and I could feel my heart flutter, wanting him to stay there.

He searched my face for a sign of anything. There must not have been much there. He sat back on the couch and cleared his throat. “I'm sorry, Michael. That was... um... that was a big mistake. Sorry mate.”

I couldn't think of anything to say and I sat there like a silent idiot in shock.

“If you want to leave, I can call you a cab. I completely understand.” He stood up from the couch, running a hand through his hair and reaching the other shaking hand into his pocket to pull out his phone. He held it in front of him and tried to unlock the screen. “Sorry, so much, mate. I've had a few too many to drink.” I could hear the tears in his voice.

I crossed the room to him and took the phone out of his hand. He turned to me and our faces were extremely close to touching noses. “Don't be sorry,” I said as I leaned my head in for another kiss. I felt my hands wrap around his back, completely out of my control.

 _What am I doing?_ I thought. _I'm standing in a stranger's living room – a_ guy's _living room – and I'm kissing him? Michael, I thought you were straight_.

The kiss grew in intensity as his fingers found themselves entangled in my hair. My hands were tracing over his back and pulling him closer to me with each lusting breath I took. He parted his lips and I let myself in. Our teeth hit together for a split second and I blamed myself for being too aggressive. I whispered sorry into his lips as we continued to kiss and as a reaction, he tugged on my hair. Even though he was the taller of the two of us, I felt like I had complete control of him, he gave in and let me take over.

I found myself leading him to the couch and when his legs hit the cushions he gave out a yelp thinking he was going to fall. I placed a hand on the back of the sofa and lowered him down slowly. He stopped kissing when his head hit the pillows and I pulled my head back. Looking down at him, he flashed me a smile.

“What?” I asked, mirroring his lips.

“Thank you for coming out with me tonight.” His hands fell from my hair and looped around the back of my neck.

“Quit thanking me,” I teased and continued to kiss, moving from his lips to his jaw and slowly working to the flesh of his neck. He exhaled and I could feel his nails digging further and further into the top of my back.

“Michael,” he whispered. I pulled away and he looked into my eyes with a smile. “Can we move to the bedroom?”

 


End file.
